Paloma Faith among 1,100 artists urging Eurovision boycott

Paloma Faith, Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Kneecap are among more than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 over the inclusion of genocidal Israel.

Boycott Eurovision unless Zionist Israel is banned

The letter, co-ordinated by campaign group No Music For Genocide (NMFG), has also been signed by artists including David Holmes, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and Macklemore.

It calls on countries to follow the lead of Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Spain by withdrawing from the popular music competition.

NMFG urged public broadcasters, performers, screening party organisers, crew, and fans to refuse to participate in or platform Eurovision until Israel is banned.

The letter says the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, should ban Israel from participating because of the ongoing conflict with Palestine, citing its ban of Russia in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The letter cites Israel’s genocide in Gaza and said Eurovision should not “whitewash and normalise” the actions of the Zionist state. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 72,000 people, with the toll from the genocide likely to rise.

The letter called the EBU “hypocritical” for banning Russia from Eurovision but not Israel, and said that those who had signed the letter “refuse to be silent”.

Massive Attack musician Robert Del Naja, who is among those to sign the letter, was arrested earlier this month during a mass protest in central London against the ban on Palestine Action.

‘Silence is complicity’

Irish rap trio Kneecap, who are known for their politically driven music and social commentary, said:

Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022. Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide – and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage.

That’s not neutrality. That’s a choice. We’ve paid a price for speaking out – lost gigs, court cases, visa bans – and we’d do it all again tomorrow.

Silence is complicity. We stand with No Music for Genocide and every artist, fan and broadcaster who refuses to let the world’s biggest music event be used to whitewash genocide. No stage for genocide. Free Palestine.

NMFG organisers said:

Every year, for its entire 53-year tenure as a Eurovision participant, Israel has perpetuated its terrorising systems of apartheid, torture, land theft, and military occupation against Palestinians from the river to the sea with complete impunity.

While many of us in the industry make light of Eurovision or doubt our own power as cultural producers, genocidal Israel’s leaders speak openly about the contest’s geopolitical value.

NMFG stands with and amplifies the incredible grassroots organising efforts across Europe to boycott Eurovision until Israel is banned.

From Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to direct actionists, from Film Workers For Palestine in Hollywood to striking dockworkers in Italy and Morocco, people of conscience around the globe are fighting complicity in every industry for a free Palestine and a freer world.

Featured image via the Canary